PICTURE BOOK - Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards by Kevin Major

Illustrated by Bruce Roberts

2005, A Groundwood Book, House of Anansi Press, Toronto & Berkeley

Out-of-print

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.91 - 22 ratings

My rating: 4.5

Endpapers: Red striped background with collage of antique Christmas postcards

Illustrations:  Facsimiles of oodles and oodles of vintage postcards.  Drawings of Aunt Olga and the little girl look like pen and ink and watercolors.

1^st line/s:  "Great-great Aunt Olga is ninety-five.  She calls herself a nonagenarian!  We all think the world of her."

My comments:  This is a wonderfully special book for me.  It's about Christmas and poetry and aging and familial grandparent-type/child relationship.  Its about memories and art and poems that both rhyme and don't rhyme.  There's quite a bit of text, but not so much that snuggling with a child older than a toddler and a gingerbread cookie wouldn't remedy!

Goodreads:  Anna’s great-aunt Olga has collected Christmas postcards all her life. She’s ninety-five, and many of the cards are very old. The holidays are the perfect time for Aunt Olga to share her postcards and her memories with her favorite niece. Decked out in red, Aunt Olga is ready for fun as she teaches Anna how to write her very own Christmas rhymes. Written with warmth and humor, this lovely story is a perfect starting point for discussions of the “olden days”, as well as a charming introduction to the joys of collecting.

MOVIE - Hello My Name is Doris

R (1:35)

Limited release 3/11/16

Never wrote down when I saw this, 2nd quarter of 2016
IMBd: 6.7/10

RT Critic: 83   Audience:  77
Critic's Consensus: Hello, My Name Is Doris is immeasurably elevated by Sally Field's remarkable performance in the title role, which overpowers a surfeit of stereotypical indie quirk.

Cag:  2.5 It was okay

Directed by Michael Showalter

Red Crown Productions

Sally Field

My comments:  This just made me sad and depressed.  I thought I'd like it a lot more than I did.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  When Doris Miller meets John Fremont, her company's hip new art director, sparks fly-at least for Doris. In the cluttered house she shared with her late mother, Doris mines the Internet for information on her one-and-only, guided by the 13-year-old granddaughter of her best pal Roz. When Doris begins showing up at John's regular haunts, she wins over his Williamsburg friends. Her new life brings Doris a thrilling perspective, but also creates a rift between her and her longtime friends and family, who believe she's making a fool of herself over a guy half her age. Eager for all the experiences she has missed out on, Doris throws caution to the wind and follows her heart for the very first time.

MOVIE - The Intern

PG-13

Wide release 9/25/15

Kolb cheapie theater, Wed. 1/13/16

RT Critic: 60   Audience:  76
Critic's Consensus:  The Intern doesn't do enough with its timely premise, but benefits from the unorthodox chemistry of its talented leads.

Cag: 4,5 Liked it a whole lot

Directed by Nancy Meyers

Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert DeNiro, Anne Hathaway

My comments:  I looked forward to this for months, and was not disappointed.  Because age (mine) is seriously starting to bother me....people make me feel so old.....this was a huge boost, full of positivity and chemistry between the two marvelous protagonists.  It got a bit smarmy in a place or two, gave me some great laughs, and was a real pleaser!

RT Summary:  70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

MOVIE - Danny Collins

R (1:46)

Wide Release 4/11/2015 - but very difficult to find

Viewed on April 30, 2015, while I played hooky from work on my birthday

RT Critic: 78   Audience:   82

Cag:  6/Awesome  

Directed by Dan Fogelman

Bleecker Street Films

Based on the book by

Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer

My comments:  I think I've found a new favorite here.  The members of the cast were all terrific names and did a splendid job, especially Bobby Cannavale.   There was heart, there was humor, there was battling demons and addictions, there was sickness and health, there was family and the lack of it, and there was a whole lot of John Lennon.  Most of the music was his, and the turning point in the life of this aging rocker was a long-lost letter from him.  I was really into it. I just love the way the story was told, unfolded, a little bit of something for everyone!

RT Summary:  Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act.